Troops of 34 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Obinze, Owerri, said they had destroyed the den of notorious terrorists led by one Monday Ogu, popularly called B44.
The troops also exhumed dead bodies believed to be the terrorist’s victims, buried in shallow graves near the den in Ezioha community, Mbaitoli Council Area of Imo.
Addressing journalists shortly after the operation on Saturday, the Brigade Commander, Brig Gen Usman Lawal, said the exercise was carried out by his gallant officers following intelligence reports.
He said the terrorists’ camp, strategically located on the bank of the Njaba River, overlapped three council areas of Imo, namely Njaba, Oru East and Mbaitoli, where the criminals carried out attacks.
He listed the attacks to include kidnapping for ransom, robbery of kidnapping victims’ valuables, burning of their vehicles, as well as killing of the victims, most of whom were buried in shallow graves.
The commander added that the terrorists also vandalise vehicles belonging to their victims and sell off the vehicles’ parts while burning them beyond recognition.
He called on residents of the state to furnish security agencies with useful information that would lead to the location and decimation of terrorists and other criminal elements in their domain.
“We aim to clear camps of criminal, irredentist elements and restore peace to the communities so that the people can return to their communities and resume normal life.
“Following the clearance of the terrorists’ hideout by our gallant troops, we have exhumed the dead bodies of the victims for a thorough forensic assessment so that, where possible, we can trace them to their families and hand them over for a befitting burial,” he said.
